Ichabod Crane and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow

There are many facets that can either make or break someone as a “hero”. In literature, a hero does not necessarily have to be a knight in shining armor, a caped crusader, or an exact replica of the archetype but, there are certain qualities and expectations that determine what makes a hero. A typical hero has strength, appeal, courage, righteousness, and success, meaning that they have the physical and mental capabilities that can lead them to eventually achieve their goals. In most cases, the protagonist of a story is the hero, but this is not true in “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” by Washington Irving. Set in Sleepy Hollow, the story chronicles schoolmaster, Ichabod Crane’s, time and sudden disappearance from the “haunted” town. Seemingly the “good guy” and hero of the story, it is made apparent that Ichabod is a man of many faults which undermine this surface assumption. Ichabod’s gangly and bird-like physique is the first indication that he is not cut out to be the triumphant hero. In the face of danger, a hero stands up with bravery while Ichabod shrinks back from mythical tales and superstitions. Likewise, the simple fact of being morally upright is challenged by Ichabod’s overwhelming greed. Affirming his lack of heroism is the story’s conclusion in which Ichabod’s overactive imagination was so prevalent that it clouded his sense of reality and caused his downfall and failure. In “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow”, Ichabod Crane is shown to be an anti-hero through his mere physical description, cowardice and greed, and ultimately destructive imagination, all of which completely contradict the traits that make a true hero.

The physical characteristics of Ichabod Crane and those of the “typical hero” are polar opposite in comparis...

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...e majorly attributed to being cowardly and greedy. He is afraid of almost everything and wants excessively more than he needs or should. The stories about trivial things such as ghosts, witches, and particularly the headless horseman excite, but ultimately terrify Ichabod. Similarly, the simple rivalry between him and Brom Bones for Katrina Van Tassel’s affection causes him to shy away from confrontation. His pursuit of Katrina is under false pretenses, he is truly after her immense wealth and prosperity. Lastly, Ichabod experiences no glory or success, like a hero characteristically does. He instead faces a downfall in which he loses the girl to his rival and basically his life as he knows it because of his over-active imagination, which blinds him from reality. All these qualities make up exactly what a hero is not, and that is why Ichabod Crane is an anti-hero.